Starbucks Wins $500,000 Lawsuit Over A Bong

Artist James Landgraf designed a water pipe that looks identical to Starbucks’s Frappuccino cups. Now, according to Law360, a New York U.S. District judge is ordering him to repay not only $300,000-$410,800 for copyright infringement but also $99,000 for trademark infringement and $11,580 for attorneys fees.

Starbucks argues that Landgraf and Hitman Glass, a glass water pipe company responsible for selling the bong, “Willfully intended to create an association with the Starbucks Marks and to capitalize upon the success and popularity of the Starbucks Marks to sell [their] products.”

The products in question include a line of water pipes that resemble the company’s Frappuccino cups. However, the company calls the bong “Dabuccino,” whose glass vessels display a logo that is virtually identical to that of the coffee company’s. Moreover, the mouthpiece is a green straw, which is the same color as the straws at Starbucks.

Evidently, the bongs are quite pricey. In fact, the line sold from $200 to a mountainous $8,000.